From the Veil
by scarletshadow53
Summary: Harry has everything he could ask for after he steps through The Veil. He has a family. But is he ready for what that could mean?
1. Prologue

From The Veil

Author's Note: Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to the Goddess J.K. Rowling.

Summary: Harry has everything he could ask for after he steps through The Veil. He has a family. But is he ready for what that could truly mean?

* * *

Prologue

Harry pulled out his last cigarette. "One last one for the road, I guess," said Harry. He lit the cigarette and smoked it. One drag was left. He threw the cigarette on the ground. He stepped on it with the edge of his boot.

"I did it," he said to himself. "But I lost everything getting here. First, Ginny. Then, Ron. Then, Hermione."

I know some might think this is taking the easy way out," continued Harry. He thought of Ginny—he thought of her beautiful red-hair crowned in light.

"I know you would understand," he said. He thought of Hermione. He thought of her brown eyes alight with excitement while she read a book.

"And I know you would think of this as some kind of lark—something of a laugh," said Harry. He thought of Ron. He thought of his boyish expression of glee whenever the two of them got together and nursed mugs of strong, dark ale at Madam Rosmerta's pub.

"Well, I won't say any of you are wrong," said Harry.

_Harry, are you monoglouing again? _asked a familiar voice. It was Harry's familiar—the serpent, Sarienta. She sat on Harry's shoulders.

Harry chuckled. _I guess so, Sari,_ he answered.

_I thought we were going somewhere, _replied Sarienta.

_We are. _Harry took a deep breath. He began to walk.

Harry steadily rose up the staircase on the dais. A stone, marble archway stood there as solid and steady as a tree. A thin veil fluttered in the open space between one pillar of stone and the next.

Moments later he heard footfalls. "He's here! He's here!" someone called out from the bottom of the dias.

Harry glanced down at the person who was yelling. It was an Auror.

Tonks.

"Harry, what do you think you are doing?" shouted Tonks. "Get away from there!"

"Sorry, Tonks," said Harry with a sardonic smile. "I did what I had to do. Now, it's time for me to do what I _want_ to do."

"What? No! You don't know what will happen to you if you go through there!" shouted Tonks. Her eyes were opened wide.

"I just want to go somewhere where I can be happy," said Harry.

"This is not the way to get that!" argued Tonks. She climbed the stairs of the dias.

"I disagree," replied Harry.

Harry breathed in. He began to draw sigils in the air with his wand. He felt a shift in the air as he finished the spell.

_Are we there yet? _asked Sarienta.

_Not just yet,_ replied Harry in Parseltongue.

He heard more noise from the entrance of The Veil Room. More Aurors were making there way into The Room. Harry glanced at Tonks. She was almost at the top of the staircase.

The spell was complete. It was time for him to go.

"Sorry, Tonks," said Harry. He gave her a salute. "I guess I'll see you on the flipside."

Then, he stepped through The Veil.

* * *

I'm excited for this new story. I'll update in a few days.


	2. Chapter 1

From The Veil

Author's Note: Harry Potter does not belong to me but to the Goddess J.K. Rowling.

Summary: Harry has everything he could ask for after he steps through The Veil in The Department of Mysteries. He has a family. But is he ready for what that could truly mean?

* * *

Chapter One

"Harry, get up!" someone said. "We can't be late for the Hogwarts Express! This is your first year taking the train. It'll be bad luck."

Harry groaned. He opened his eyes slowly. He looked around.

He wasn't in The Veil Room anymore. Instead, he was in a spacious but messy room. There were socks on the floor, posters on the walls and a desk with a sketchbook on it. The sketchbook was opened. Harry could see a number of coal drawings on one of the pages of the sketchbook.

"Harry! C'mon, get up!" said the person from earlier.

Harry stared at the young man at the doorway of the bedroom.

He was a boy with a dark hair carefully styled in an effortless coif. He was tall and muscular. He had brown eyes. The boy in front of him reminded Harry of a model from a magazine ad.

"Er- sorry. What was that?" said Harry. He blinked. He rubbed his eyes. _No, I'm still here,_ thought Harry.

"We're going to be late if you don't get up _now_," stated boy. He scowled. "You've talked about the first day of school all summer. I thought you wanted to get to the Hogwarts Express early so that we get the first choice of seats on the train."

Harry's mouth was dry. However, he managed to find his voice. "Right," he said. "I'll be down in a second."

The boy seemed appeased. "Good," he said. The boy shut the door with a snap.

Sarienta crawled out of Harry's beside covers. _Are we there yet? _she asked.

Harry laughed. It was a hysterical sound . _Yes, I think we are._

* * *

The Hogwarts Express whistled.

"Write to your father, Anna and I about your Sorting," said Lily—his mother. She looked exactly like she did in Harry's old photo album from his Old World (as Harry began to think of it). The only difference was that her green eyes seemed brighter and her laugh lines were a little more prominent.

"But don't write too often," said James—Harry's father. He was tall and built sturdily. He looked older than he did in Harry's photo album. He had a small scar on the side of his cheek. "Sometimes it's better to live life than to write about it."

Lily rolled her eyes. "Don't listen to your father. Write to us as often as you'd like. I, for one, will look forward to your letters."

"Me, too!" said Harry's younger sister, Anna. Her hair was a dark auburn. She had green eyes like Harry and Lily did.

"Will do," replied Harry. He felt bereft of words. He wasn't used to having parents.

"Take care of him, William," said Lily to Harry's brother. "You're the oldest. Make sure he doesn't get into any trouble."

The boy sighed in exasperation. "Yes, I know, Mum. You already told me this. I'll take care of our little Harry here," said William. He ruffled Harry's messy hair.

"Hey!" said Harry instinctively. It was strange but Harry felt as if William and Harry had done that exchange numerous times before.

The train whistled again.

"Go on now before the train leaves without you," said Lily. She sounded mela

He stepped onto the red Hogwarts Express with one final glance at his new family.

* * *

"All right. Let's find Fred and George," said William to Harry. Harry frowned. He felt his stomach tighten in knots.

"Fred? George? You mean Fred and George Weasley?" asked Harry.

William looked at him strangely. "Yeah, Fred and George Weasley, my best mates. Why do you sound so surprised?"

Harry shrugged. "Oh, no reason," he said. He thought quickly. "I just thought you might want to find them yourself."

William snorted. "_Right_. Harry, you _begged_ me to let you sit with us."

"I did?"

"Don't act stupid."

Harry frowned.

"Right. Well, I decided it was best that I spend time with people my own age," said Harry. "I want to make friends from my year and all that... so meeting people on the train is probably a good way to start."

William looked confused. "All right… if that's what you want," replied William.

"Yeah, that's what I want," said Harry. "I'll see you later, William."

"Later, Harry."

The two separated.

* * *

Harry walked along the corridor of the Hogwarts Express. Students were milling about. They talked and chatted. Harry felt nervous but excited.

Harry had a number of questions on his mind. But he knew he'd have to wait to get answers. For right now, he needed to act normal. He needed to blend in.

_Here, I'm Harry Potter-the second son of James and Lily Potter. I have an older brother named William and I have a younger sister named Anna. I am twelve-years-old and this is my first year at Hogwarts. _

_I'm not the End-Bringer. I'm not the leader of The Resistance. I'm not an Auror. Not here._

With that mantra set, Harry began to search for any empty compartment to sit in. Many of the train cars were full. However, Harry found a familiar compartment somewhere in the middle of the train car.

A girl with bushy hair was there. A boy with bright red-hair sat across from her. A round-faced boy with a serious expression sat next to the boy.

Harry gulped. "S-sorry. Wrong train car," said Harry. He shut the door and quickly walked away.

Harry felt shaky. He paused and took in a few deep breaths.

_Hermione, Ron,_ he thought. _You're here. You're alive. _

Harry didn't know what to do. How should he react?

_I'll figure it out later, _he decided.

Harry found another train car a few minutes later. It was one of the only train cars with seats left so he Harry went inside to take a seat.

"Hi," said Harry to the people in the train car. There was a pretty girl with her hair up to her shoulders who sat next to the window. There was a girl with curly hair sitting beside her. A boy with dark hair and blue eyes sat across from them.

"Oh, hello," the girl by the window said. She smiled at him. She had a very pretty smile.

Harry tried to smile back. "Do you mind if I have a seat?" he asked.

The girl shrugged. The boy nodded. The curly-haired girl looked on impassively.

Harry entered the train car and pulled his luggage onto the overhead compartment.

"Oh, you're a Potter!" said the same girl with short hair.

Harry noticed that she was looking at the name-tag that was engraved onto his luggage.

"Yes, I am," said Harry. "My name is Harry. Harry Potter."

"I'm Tracy Davis," answered the girl.

"I'm Trevor Boot," said the boy.

"Amanda Brocklehurst," said the final occupant of the train car.

Harry nodded. Then, he sat next to Trevor Boot.

The train compartment was quiet. After some time, Harry decided to end the silence. He needed some intel. This was the perfect time to gather some information.

"Are you excited?" asked Harry to Davis. "I've waited for my first day at Hogwarts ever since I can remember." He didn't know if that was true, but it was a likely story.

"Oh, yes," responded Davis. "I've heard so many great things about it. I'm glad I got accepted."

"Yes, I'm excited, too," said the boy, Boot.

"What do you think about the Headmaster?" pressed Harry. "Have you heard anything about him?"

"Dumbledore is one of the greatest wizards on Earth," said Boot with authority. He gave Harry a queer look that said,_ 'Everyone knows that.'_

Harry cleared his throat. "Right."

"My mother speaks very highly of Dumbledore," replied Davis. "He is, of course, the only one who can beat You-Know-Who."

Harry frowned. _What did she say?_

"He's the only one _who can_ beat You-Know-Who?" said Harry again.

Boot rolled his eyes. "Do I hear an echo?" he said.

Mandy Brocklehurst cleared her throat. "Don't be a prat, Boot," she said. "You know there's one other person who can beat You-Know-Who."

_Here it is,_ thought Harry.

"You mean _The-Boy-Who-Lived?" _said Boot. "I don't know about that."

"Oh, you're such a pessimist, Boot," said Davis with an eye-roll.

"Why should I be otherwise? If Dumbledore can't even beat You-Know-Who, then how can anyone else be able to?"

"Children, children!" said Mandy Brocklehurst. "Now is not the time to bicker."

"What do you say, Potter?" asked Boot. "What do you feel about The-Boy-Who-Lived?"

"Well…" began Harry. He thought quickly. "Shouldn't he be somewhere on the train?"

"Oh, yes!" said Davis. "My Mother told me something like that. Apparently, Neville Longbottom should be in our year."

Harry's mouth was dry.

_Neville is The-Boy-Who-Lived?_

Boot seemed pleased. "Yes, I heard that as well."

"Well, then, I suppose we'll be able to see what he's like in-the-flesh," said Harry.

"I suppose so," agreed Boot.

* * *

There will be more excitement in the next chapter! Stay tuned.


	3. Chapter 2

From The Veil

Author's Note: Harry Potter does not belong to me, but to the Goddess J.K. Rowling.

Summary: Harry has everything he could ask for after he steps through The Veil. He has a family. But is he ready for what that could truly mean?

* * *

Chapter Two

Harry tried not to stare too hard at The Great Hall. Candles floated in the air above the four House tables. They brightened the dark room. The enchanted ceiling was cloudy. It looked like it might rain.

Harry saw familiar faces all around him. There were people he remembered, people he hated and people he _really_ hated everywhere. Case and point: Albus Dumbledore. Dumbledore sat in a chair in the middle of the long table in the front of The Great Hall.

Harry glanced away from his old, conniving professor before Dumbledore could read his mind.

_Shit, _thought Harry. _Legilimency. Dumbledore has it. Snape has it. And… The Sorting Hat! Damn it._

Harry was an expert at legilimency now. He was sure he could even give Dumbledore and Snape a run for their money. However, he was no match for The Sorting Hat. _I need to figure this out _now, thought Harry. He felt sick.

A moment later, the tightening in his stomach dissipated.

Harry knew what to do.

* * *

"Harry Potter!" called out Professor McGonagall. She looked exactly like he remembered. Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun. She was frowning.

Harry moved away from the crowd of first-years with trepidation. He knew what to do—but he wasn't sure if The Sorting Hat would listen to him.

_There's only one way to know. _

Harry reached the wooden stool where the first-years all sat down on to be Sorted. He lifted The Hat and placed it on his head.

_Harry Potter, _thought The Sorting Hat into Harry's mind. _You're Lily and James's son aren't you? The second son. I placed your elder brother in Gryffindor after mere moments—he was Gryffindor through-and-through. Now, you on the other hand…"_

The Sorting Hat paused mid-thought.

Harry tried not to fidget. He held his breath. _Here it comes._

_Who are you? _asked The Hat in a harsh whisper. _A grown man in a young man's head? And you're merging still. Who are you? What are you doing here? _

_I _am_ Harry Potter, _explained Harry quickly. _I'm just a little different now. Listen__—__I just want to live, _okay? _I just want to go through my seven years at Hogwarts safe, normal and happy. So, can you keep this… _anomaly_ to yourself? Can you keep this from Dumbledore?_

_I'm sorry, _continued The Sorting Hat. _Dumbledore and I have an agreement ever since The Dark Lord's ascent. I don't think-_

_No, _thought Harry._ That old manipulator can't know _anything _about who I really am. However, I'm not asking you to do what I say without any incentive. I can help you._

_What do you mean?_ asked The Hat. He sounded curious.

_I can give you what you want... whatever you want that is within my means. I have magic far beyond these first-years—and far beyond most everyone at this school! I have power. And if you promise to keep this secret to yourself, I can lend you my power._

_I see… _said The Hat. _ What can you give me?  
_

_Name your price,_ thought Harry.

The Sorting Hat was silent. _I shall keep your silence,_ said The Sorting Hat. _And in exchange you will give me something. Something I have wanted for thousands__—__maybe eons—of years. Do what you will, Harry Potter. Gain strength. Gain knowledge. Gain Power. I will ask you to return this favor when it is the right time._

Harry heaved a sigh of relief.

_Yes,_ thought Harry _. Okay. It's a deal._

_Now, before you leave me I have one thing left to say, _thought The Hat.

_Better be… _"GRYFFINDOR!" shouted The Sorting Hat out loud.

The students in The Great Hall clapped.

_Gryffindor? _asked Harry to The Hat before he took it off his head. _You don't think I belong in Slytherin?_

_Slytherin was an option, yes, _responded The Hat. _But that would pique Dumbledore's interest. Gryffindor will suit you well. It's all here… all in your head. You are sly, but you are a Gryffindor down to your bones—just like your brother, and your father before him. _

_Good, _thought Harry. _There's no other place I'd rather be._

* * *

"I think I'll take this bed," said Harry to his year-mates. Harry chose the same bed that he slept in when he was a Hogwarts student in his Old World. He sighed and threw himself on the maroon comforter.

Harry examined his year-mates. They were the same people he anticipated to be in Gryffindor... except one person. There was Dean, Seamus, Ron, and finally, Neville… and, there was a stocky boy with black hair and gray eyes.

The boy noticed Harry's stare. "Is there something on my face?" he asked as a way of greeting.

Harry shook his head. "No, sorry." _I should play nice, _thought Harry._ That way I can get more intel without any questions. _"I'm Harry Potter by the way. It's nice to meet you."

"I'm Colt," the boy replied. "Colt Black.

Harry started.

"Did I say something?" asked Black.

"No, nothing," said Harry. He paused. "It's just that I think I've heard your surname before. You're from an old Wizarding family, correct?"

"Yes," said Black. "And you're a Potter. I've heard of your House as well."

The other boys were all listening.

"How about you?" asked Harry to Ron. Of course, Harry knew all about Ron's family. He might even know more about the Weasley's than Ron himself. However, that didn't mean he shouldn't go through the niceties.

"My name's Ron. Weasley," he said. "My family's all Wizards… have been for years," said Ron. "Though I do think we have an Uncle who's an accountant."

The boys laughed.

Seamus was the next to speak up. He told everyone that he was a pure-blood from an old, Irish Wizarding family. Dean informed everyone that he was a muggle-born. He told everyone that his mother and younger sister were thrilled to find out that he was magic.

The room quieted down when it was Neville's turn to talk.

_Neville's getting all the attention, _thought Harry. _Better you than me._

"You probably know this but I'm Neville Longbottom. My family's been magical for generations."

"You're The-Boy-Who-Lived," said Harry with a rueful smile.

Neville glanced at him. He nodded. "Yes. I am. Though I hope you will all get to know me for me—not as The-Boy-Who-Lived."

"We will. You have a lot to live up to. But I think you can do it," said Harry.

Neville gave him a confused look. The other boys did as well.

"Well, I think I'm going to get ready for bed now," said Harry. "I want to be ready for classes tomorrow."

"That's a good idea," said Neville.

The others agreed. The five boys got ready for bed and fell asleep around an hour later.

* * *

Harry laid awake on his bed while the boy's drifted off. He pulled back the maroon hangings around his bed when he heard Ron snoring.

It was time.

Harry walked to the secret passage way that led to Honeydukes. The passage way was unblocked in this world, he was sure.

He was right.

Harry entered the tunnel and made his way to Hogsmeade. As Harry walked, he began to make plans in his mind. He arrived at Honeydukes sooner than he expected. Then, he climbed out of the cellar.

Harry shut the trap door. He took a deep breath and Apparated.

Harry appeared out of thin air. He looked around him. He was exactly where he wanted to be—he was right outside The Leaky Cauldron. Harry waylaid into an alleyway. He made a decision.

Harry had a small, brown pouch around his neck. It was his moke-skin pouch—a pouch that was charmed so that he was the only person who could open it. The pouch could hold hundreds of pounds worth of weight. It held a number of important things inside of it, too. It held his invisibility cloak, the Elder wand, and the Ring of Power for starters.

Harry looked through the pouch to find a hand mirror. Next, he began to transfigure himself. He transfigured himself slowly. He used the mirror during the process. It was a tricky thing.

Harry made his skin weathered. He darkened his skin color to a dark, walnut brown. He gave himself a more prominent brow. He even made his teeth pointer.

Harry gazed at the mirror one last time to make sure that the transfiguration was perfect. He nodded with satisfaction after the perusal.

"All right," he said. "It's time. Lights. Camera. Action!"

* * *

"I'd like to rent a room," said Harry to the barman, Tom. "A large, private room."

Harry had around one thousand galleons in his moke-skin pouch. That would more than suffice for the moment.

Tom nodded. "Who would you be, sir?" asked Tom.

"My name is Gobblecrock. I'm here on some business."

"Right-o," said Tom. "Follow me, sir."

Moments later, Harry sat on a large, king-sized bed. The sheets on the bed were an emerald green. There was a window on the side of the bedroom that looked out into the Muggle world. There was another window on the other side of the bedroom. That window looked out into Diagon Alley.

Harry took a long shower. While he showered, he made a number of plans in his head. His first plan was to get more money. He had one thousand galleons in his moke-skin pouch. However, Harry needed more.

Harry assumed that he still had his own private account at Gringotts. Harry wasn't an orphan here. He had a mother and a father now—and his father was a pureblood. It would only be natural that James Potter would set up a Gringotts account for his second son when Harry was born. That was the pure-blood way.

"You better not be a stingy man, James Potter," said Harry out loud to himself. "It would really be a let down if you are."

* * *

"And who would you be?" asked a goblin twenty minutes later.

Harry bowed. "I am Gobblecrock," he said.

The goblin sniffed with disdain. "What is your family line? What is your surname?"

"That is unnecessary information at the moment," said Harry. "I would like to speak to you one-on-one. I have private business today."

The goblin sniffed with disdain. He gave him a suspicious stare.

Harry stared back at him. He was implacable.

Finally, he accommodated Harry's request.

Harry was led to a small office. There was a neat and orderly desk in the corner of the room. Harry was not offered a seat.

"What do you want?" the goblin barked.

Harry drew back his hood.

"I have an account here. I would like to withdraw some galleons."

"Impossible," said the goblin with a harsh laugh. "Goblins do not have accounts at Gringotts."

Harry heard of this before in his Old World.

"I am aware of that," he said. "However, you will find that _I_ do."

Harry opened his moke-skin pouch and felt for the right pocket. He pulled out the Gringotts key from his Old World that Hagrid first gave him when he was twelve-years-old. He handed it to the goblin.

The goblin examined it for some time. He looked at Harry with an implacable gaze. "This is a Wizard's key. This crest… it is the crest of a someone from the House of Potter. It is for a scion of that House."

Harry said nothing. He stared at the goblin. The goblin stared back. Harry could feel the goblin appraising him.

"What are you doing with this?" asked the goblin.

"It is mine," said Harry simply.

The goblin chortled. "I see."

"However, I know accessing my account will... prove to have difficulties," said Harry.

"Yes," said the goblin slowly.

"I will be happy to give you a fee if you access my account in a timely and_ discreet_ manner."

"I see," said the goblin. "Yes, you are correct. Accessing this account will be hard." He smirked and bared his teeth. "My fee should be a considerable amount."

"Three," said Harry. What Harry actually meant was three-hundred galleons. He was speaking in a secret code. He expected the goblin to know it. If he didn't, then Harry picked a low-stationed goblin.

"No," said the goblin.

"Four," said Harry. He meant four-hundred galleons.

The goblin rolled his eyes. "No," he said again.

Harry nodded. "Five," said Harry. _There, _thought Harry. _I'd be stupid to give him anymore than five-hundred galleons_.

The goblin gave him a biting smile. "And so," he said.

Harry straightened. "Now that you have agreed to exact my business, it is only right that we exchange some pleasantries. What is your name, sir?"

"Hereak," said the goblin.

"It is nice to meet you, Hereak," responded Harry. "Just call me Harry Potter."

* * *

I hope you liked this chapter! The next one should be out soon.


	4. Chapter 3

From The Veil

Author's Note: Harry Potter does not belong to me but to the Goddess J.K. Rowling.

Summary: Harry has everything he could ask for after he steps through The Veil. He has a family. But is he ready for what that could mean?

* * *

Chapter Three

Harry stepped out of Gringotts a great deal richer. He had one-thousand galleons with him in a special money bag that Hereak gave him with his money. It wasn't a surprise that Harry walked with a confident swagger.

Harry wanted to buy many things. The first purchase on his mind was his old familiar, the snowy owl, Hedwig. However, Hedwig was still in the pet store on Diagon Alley. It was the evening so the pet store was closed. He wouldn't be able to get her.

_I'll have to pick her up next time, _thought Harry. _I wonder if Sarienta will like her._

Harry decided to go to Knockturn Alley for his purchases. Many of the shops on Knockturn Alley were opened late into the evening. His first stop was Twiddle's Goodes. Twiddle's Goodes had two things he needed—a new money pouch and a special trunk. The money pouch was necessary because his moke-skin pouch couldn't hold the one-thousand galleons that he withdrew. Also, if Harry walked around with the the money-bag from Gringotts then everyone would know that he carried a large number of galleons on him.

Harry's new pouch was made of lambskin. It had a silver chain that he could use to place the pouch around his neck. Harry did so as soon as he could.

_It's better to be safe than sorry,_ he thought.

The trunk from Twiddle's Goodes was a top-of-the-line Etherton trunk. It cost Harry five-hundred-and-fifty galleons. It was his most expensive purchase because of the special spell that was cast on it. The trunk was blood-warded. He needed to cut himself and place a drop of blood on the lock of the trunk to open it. Blood-wards were particularly difficult to do.

_I'll do more spells on it, too, _thought Harry. _I need my things to be safe and secure._

The next thing Harry needed was a new wand. This was the most important thing that Harry needed to buy. Harry could have gone to a wand shop on Knockturn Alley to get the wand (there was a store there called Billing's Magical Items that had all sorts of things like wands, jewelry, and even furniture). However, Harry decided not to go there. There was only one place to get a wand as far as Harry was concerned—Ollivander's.

Ollivander's was the only store open that was on Diagon Alley twenty-four-seven. Harry made his way to Diagon Alley and stopped in a dark alley. He used his mirror to change back to his original state.

Things were like Gobblecrock said—it was illegal for goblins to have a wand. Now, however, he looked like his twelve-year-old self. Harry predicted that Ollivander wouldn't have a problem getting him a wand. Ollivander was used to odd customers buying things in his store at late hours.

Harry strode into the wand shop and looked around. It was like he remembered. Wand boxes lined the walls of the store. It was dark. It smelled of dust and power.

"Mr. Ollivander?" said Harry. The shop was opened but Ollivander was not there. However, Harry knew that Ollivander lived above the shop and that a spell made a bell chime every time someone entered his store.

In a few minutes Harry heard a shuffling noise. Mr. Ollivander walked down from the curled, black iron staircase. Ollivander was wearing a cotton nightgown. He had a night-cap on his head.

"Sorry, to wake you, sir," said Harry.

"Yes," said Ollivander. He made his way to the counter and looked down at Harry with a curious expression on his face. "Now, who would you be?"

"My name is Jameson Jones," said Harry. "I would like to buy a wand. I'm sorry that I'm here so late in the evening but I'm from Australia and I'm not used to the British time yet. I couldn't sleep so I decided to come here to buy my wand early. I'm just _really_ _excited_ about getting my first wand."

Ollivander nodded. "I see," he said. "Well, Jameson Jones, the hour is indeed late. However, you are correct. My store is open at all hours. I try to be amenable to all types of people who work and live differently. Shall we begin to search for your new wand?"

Harry agreed.

They were there for almost an hour just like the first time Harry bought his phoenix feather wand. Still, Harry wasn't disappointed. He knew what his new wand would be as soon as he touched the long, dark colored wand. It was a hawthorn wand with a unicorn hair core. It was thirteen-and-a-half inches long. Harry felt a rush of power when he gripped the handle. The store started to shake when Harry raised the wand to give it a grand swish.

Ollivander looked surprised.

"Does something like that usually happen?" asked Harry when he put the wand down.

"No, that does not happen often," said Ollivander. He gave him a look. His gaze pierced Harry. "When something like that happens it means the Wizard is very powerful."

"Truly?" said Harry. He grinned. "Imagine that. Me? Powerful?"

Ollivander nodded. "We should expect great things from you, Jameson Jones."

"Perhaps powerful, or perhaps great… right?"

Ollivander frowned. But, he nodded.

Harry returned to Hogwarts at dawn. He entered his dorm room and crawled under his maroon comforter.

Fifteen-minutes later Neville woke up. The other boys began to rise, too.

"Harry, you should get dressed or you won't make it to class on time," said someone. It wasn't Neville or Ron who spoke like Harry thought it would be. It was Black.

Harry yawned and rubbed his eyes. "Yes, all right," said Harry. "I don't want to make a bad impression on the first day of class."

* * *

"Phew," said Black to Harry at dinner. "This was a long day."

"Yeah," agreed Harry. He was munching on some chips. "It seems like classes will be hard."

_I can't help it. I'll _die_ if I don't have _some _private jokes._

"Yeah," said Colt. "What classes did you like?"

"Oh, I don't know," said Harry. "I liked all of them I guess. But I'm not a very studious person. But, I think I may need to change that."

_I never paid attention to school in the Old World, _thought Harry. _Now, it will be fun. I'll be able to out pace everyone in my sleep._

That evening Harry played a game of Exploding Snap with Colt, Seamus, and Dean in the Common Room. Neville and Ron were missing.

_Are Neville and Ron's 'fun little adventures' starting early?_ wondered Harry.

"Have any of you seen Neville or Ron?" asked Harry to Colt, Seamus and Dean.

Seamus and Dean said, "No." Colt shrugged.

"Huh," said Harry.

* * *

Harry crept out of the Gryffindor Common Room hours later. He walked around the hallways of the school until he reached the southern section of Hogwarts. He stopped in front of a blank stretch of wall. Harry took a few deep breaths. He focused on his power—on the energy inside him. He tried to center himself. He was ready after a few moments.

Harry touched the stone wall.

He could sense the wards. There were many of them layered one-on-top-of-the-other. He imagined them in his mind. They were tangled together like an elaborate spider web. He tried to separate one ward from another. He imagined them as color coordinated strings.

_The first one here is a red ward. It's the basic foundation ward. It's one of the strongest wards here. Next, there's a yellow ward. It is connected to the red ward. The blue ward is on top of that. Huh. There's a lot of blue ward strings. Now, there are some green ward strings. Orange. Pink. The pink is a strong ward. It's very strong. Purple. The purple is a tricky one. Black. There's a black ward on the borders of all the others. It stretches to the outside borders of the school. Does it connect to a ward in the Forbidden Forest?_

Harry stood there for some time. After thirty minutes he removed his hand from the wall. He was tired. He spent a lot of energy doing what he did.

_I'm a thirty-five-year-old man in my younger body and that still tired me out. I guess I'm not invincible, _thought Harry.

He mulled over the wards he sensed. _I have to come back here tomorrow. I need to sketch out these wards. Then, there's the eastern part of the school. Then, after that there's the northern part. I'll do western section last. Hogwarts has towers, dungeons, and secret rooms, too. _Harry sighed. _This will be a huge project._

Moments later, Harry walked passed an opened window. He noticed something odd at the Quidditch Pitch. It looked like someone was zipping through the air. The person was moving slowly around the Pitch on what Harry thought was a broomstick.

_I wonder… _thought Harry. He remembered that Neville and Ron were missing.

Harry headed toward the school entrance. He slipped out of the school and made his way to the Quidditch Pitch.

* * *

"This is a nice night," said Harry conversationally to a brown-haired boy. It was Neville. The boy looked startled to see Harry.

"Potter," said Neville. "I- we were just-"

"You were just out for a mid-night ride?" asked Harry. Harry laughed at Neville's surprised expression. "Don't worry. I'm not a narc."

Neville gave him a confused look. "What's a narc?" said Neville.

Harry grinned. "It's an American word. It means a 'narcotics officer."

Neville frowned. "What are narcotics?" he asked.

"Don't worry about it," said Harry.

_Actually, that wouldn't be a bad idea,_ thought Harry. _I would have a lot more fun if I could get high sometimes._

"Thanks, Neville," said Harry.

"What?" he asked.

"Never mind."

Before Neville could say anything more, Ron flew down from up high in the air. He touched down on the ground. "Potter!" said Ron. "You snuck out, too?"

Harry grinned. "Yeah," replied Harry. "It looked like a nice night. It would be too good of a night to pass up."

"Neville just wanted to show me his new broom," said Ron. He brought the wand closer to Harry. "Take a look. It's a Nimbus 2000."

Harry felt something jump in his chest. "That _is_ a nice broom," said Harry. Harry would never say anything bad about the Nimbus model brooms. They had a special place in his heart.

Neville looked proud. He puffed out his chest. "It's a top-of-the-line model," said Neville. "It just got out on the market."

"It looks like it's a smooth ride," said Harry.

Neville seemed to sigh in relief. "So, you don't care that Ron and I are outside the castle past curfew?" he asked.

Harry shrugged. "No, I don't care. I snuck out, too. But, I'm surprised you didn't ask me if I could give your wand a whirl."

"Oh!" said Neville with a laugh. "Sure. By all means."

Ron gave Harry the broomstick. It didn't fit quite as well beneath his legs like his old Nimbus 2000. Yet, it was a familiar feeling.

Harry lifted in the air. He moved slowly at first. He thought it was a good idea to get used to the broomstick. After a few minutes Harry felt like he got a handle on it. Then, he decided to do something more daring. Harry began to speed up. He flew from goal post to goal post and darted this-way-and-that.

Harry circled the pitch before he decided to do his favorite move. It was the Wronksi Feint.

Harry descended all of a sudden. He moved faster and faster as the ground rose up to meet him. He 'whooped' with joy. The rush of wind kissed his cheeks. He felt his body lift off of the broomstick a little bit. He held onto the broomstick that much tighter. He didn't slow down.

"Yes!" roared Harry once he was three feet from the ground. Harry pulled up just in time. His feet brushed the grass as he glided forward.

Harry stopped right in front of a group of people. Harry hoped off of the Nimbus 2000 broomstick with a laugh.

"Blimey, hell!" said a figure that looked familiar.

It was his brother, William. Fred and George Weasley stood next to him. Their vivid red hair shone in the light of the moon. Angelina Johnson, a pretty black girl, was there with them.

"Hi, William," said Harry. "I was just taking Neville's broomstick out for a spin."

"What was that?" asked William. "That was- that was-"

"That was great!" said one twin. Harry didn't know which-one-was-which.

"Yeah, that was brilliant!" said another twin. Angelina agreed.

"Ever think about trying out for the Quidditch Team?" asked either Fred or George.

"What!" said another redhead. It was Ron this time. "He's only a first-year! He can't be on the Quidditch Team."

Neville was quiet. He watched them with an unreadable expression on his face.

"Well, McGonagall might agree to bend the rules a little," said Angelina. "There are four people on the team here. Me, Fred, George, and William. Maybe she'll let Harry try-out if we all talk to her about it together."

_William's on the Gryffindor Quidditch Team? I guess the good flying genes were passed down to both of us._

William looked annoyed. "Where did you learn that move anyway?" he asked. "You don't like to fly. I ask you to fly with me all the time and you usually say, 'no.'"

_What? How can I not like flying? That's weird._

"Well, things change I guess," said Harry.

William frowned. "Yeah, I guess so," he said slowly.

* * *

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'll post the next one soon.


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